Strigocossus otti Yakovlev, Sulak & Witt, 2019

Yakovlev, Roman V., Sulak, Harald & Witt, Thomas J., 2019, Preliminary list of Cossidae sensu str. (Lepidoptera, Cossoidea: Cossidae: Cossinae & Zeuzerinae) of the Republic of Angola with description of a new Strigocossus species, Zootaxa 4586 (3), pp. 445-460 : 453

Strigocossus otti Yakovlev, Sulak & Witt , sp. nov.

( Figs. 13–16 )

Material. Holotype ♂, Angola, Prov. Cuanza Sul, 26 km E Cassongue , 11°52.257´S 15°09.320´E, 1650 m, 28.III.2014, leg. Sulak, Naumann & Ott ( MWM, GenPr 26756) . Paratypes: 1 ♂, same data and locality as holotype ( MWM) ; 2 ♂, Angola, Huila Prov., Caconda-Huambo , vic. N. Monaco, S13°261´E015°227´, 10.XI.2012, 1610 m, leg. Weninger ( MSW) .

Description. Male: Wingspan 79–84 mm (holotype 79 mm). Antenna bipectinate along proximal half (rami three times as long as antenna rod diameter), unipectinate along distal half (crest processes almost equal to antenna rod diameter). Frons covered with pale grey scales, dense speckling of dark brown flakes on crown. Thorax with dark brown trapezoidal spot dorsally, tegula and patagium pale grey. Abdomen covered with pale grey scales. Forewing long, pale grey, with pattern of small dark spots along costal edge, thin transverse undulate lines throughout wing, discal area pale, bright dark spot discally between veins Cu1 and Cu2, dark crescent-shaped spot submarginally. Hindwing short, dark brown, with poorly expressed reticulated pattern submarginally and marginally.

Genitalia: Uncus long, strongly sclerotized, apically uncinate; gnathos reduced, with basally wide, apically narrower arms; valva evenly edged, leaf-like in shape, wide; juxta with long wide lateral processes; saccus robust, semicircular; phallus large (equal in length to valva), thick, with well-developed longitudinal folds, robust fusiform cornutus in lateral surface, long sclerotized strip with longitudinal folds on lateral surface of vesica.

Female: unknown.

Diagnosis. The new species can be distinguished from the most similar species of Strigocossus : S. capensis , S. crassa , S. elephas , and S. moderata by the specific grey coloring of the wings and by the expressed longitudinal folds on the sclerotized strip on the lateral surface of the vesica.

Etymology. The new species is named after one of the collectors of the type series, Mr. Elk Ott (Munich).

Figures

FIGURES 9‒14. Strigocossus sp., adult male specimens: 9. S. capensis (Walker, 1856), Angola, Prov. Huambo, 6 km N Chnigenge, Serra do Dembi (MWM); 10. S. crassa (Drury, 1782), Angola, Prov. Cuanza Sul, 1 km N Chipita, btw. Uku-Sumbe (MWM); 11. S. elephas Yakovlev, 2013, Angola, Huila Prov., ca. 5 km N Camava (MWM); 12. S. moderata (Walker, 1856), Angola, Huila Prov., ca. 17 km NWN Ndongwe (MWM); 13. S. otti Yakovlev, Sulak & Witt, sp. nov., holotype (MWM); 14. S. otti, paratype, Angola, Huila prov., Caconda-Huambo, vic. N. Monaco (MSW).

FIGURES 15‒16. Strigocossus otti Yakovlev, Sulak & Witt, sp. nov., male genitalia and biotope: 15. GenPr Heterocera MWM: 26756 (holotype); 16. Biotope, Prov. Cuanza Sul, 26 km E Cassongue (photo by H. Sulak).